BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Toyota has chosen the Port of Brunswick to export its U.S.-made Venza vehicles to eastern Europe.

The Georgia Ports Authority says Toyota plans to ship about 5,000 of the vehicles each year through Brunswick to Russia and Ukraine. Shipments will start once production begins this April at Toyota's plant in Georgetown, Ky.

Adding Toyota as a customer boosts Brunswick's growing profile in handling of automobile imports and exports. Last year, 612,489 auto and machinery units moved through the Colonel's Island Terminal at Brunswick. That was a new record for the port and an increase of 23 percent compared with 2011.

Toyota's exports of U.S.-made vehicles are also growing. The automaker shipped 124,000 vehicles from the U.S. to overseas markets in 2012 — up 45 percent from the previous year.